Defcon 22 A killer combination of rapidly advancing technology and a desire for greater privacy among the public should condemn current surveillance state to an historical anachronism, according to PGP creator Phil Zimmermann.

In an extended talk at Defcon 22 in Las Vegas, Zimmermann said it might seem as though the intelligence agencies have the whip hand at the moment but mankind had faced this situation before. He also said the abolition of slavery and absolute monarchy, and the achievement for civil rights, also once looked unlikely but were achieved.

Zimmermann praised the release of information by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, saying his efforts have alerted the populace to the real state of affairs and made people much more concerned about privacy. The revelations had also forced the technology industry to “up its game” and provide products to meet that demand, he opined.

Back in the 1990s Zimmermann said he had seen this in action. The US government had banned the sale and export of strong cryptography and viewed those who used it with suspicion. Today, not using strong crypto is suspect, and illegal in some professions if it risked patient or customer data

Re: Crypto Daddy Phil Zimmerman says surveillance society is DOOMED

Neither do I as there will always be a case that somethings are better kept secret from some groups and therefore have to be kept secret from all...it is a matter of ably and fairly identifying what information is in which category...and as that depends on humans...there in lies the crux of the problem...LOL

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